by Scott Bowles, USA TODAY

by Scott Bowles, USA TODAY

The Golden Globes provided some vindication Thursday for several films left out at Wednesday's Screen Actors Guild nominations.

But the dominating forces remain the same, and provide a clear picture of the frontrunners for the Academy Awards.

Lincoln, Django Unchained, Life of Pi, Zero Dark Thirty and Argo snagged nominations for best drama.

While the nominations continue the momentum of Lincoln and Argo, which have been atop virtually every critics' top 10, the nominations give new life to Zero, Kathryn Bigelow's tale of the hunt for Osama bin Laden, and Django, Quentin Tarantino's latest, starring Leo DiCaprio. Zero and Django were shut out of best picture nominations by the Screen Actors Guild Wednesday morning.

Much of the Globes' popularity among fans and stars rests in its recognition of comedy, and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which runs the Globes and the show, will recognize the year's biggest comedies and musicals.

As expected, Les Miserables, Moonrise Kingdom and Silver Linings Playbook nabbed best picture nominations. The British comedy Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, which earned a nomination from SAG Wednesday, continues its dark horse streak with a nomination here. Another surprise inclusion: Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, an Ewan McGregor comedy.

The dramatic actors category also had a surprise: Richard Gere in Arbitrage. He'll face Daniel Day-Lewis for Lincoln, John Hawkes for The Sessions, Joaquin Phoenix for The Master and Denzel Washington for Flight.

Salmon managed another surprise, this time in the comedy acting category. McGregor will face off with Jack Black from Bernie, Bradley Cooper from Playbook, Hugh Jackman from Les Miserables and Bill Murray from Hyde Park on Hudson.

If there's a pedigreed category, it's actress in a comedy or musical. The young -- Emily Blunt (Salmon) and Jennifer Lawrence (Hunger Games) -- face the grand dames of Hollywood: Judi Dench for Marigold, Maggie Smith for Quartet and Meryl Streep for Hope Springs.